Movable-seat construction



Feb. 5' {1924.

3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVZNTOR V A RIGAUMONT MOVABLE SEAT CONSTRUCTION Filed June 1 my. D

WITNES5ES Feb. 5 a

v. A. RIGAUMONT MOVABLE SEAT CONSTRUCTION Filed June 30 1919 Lmwn Feb. 7

v. A. RIGAUMONT MOVABLE SEAT OONSTRUCTIQN a sneets -sneet 3 Filed June 50 1919 INVENTOR WITNESSES Patented Feb. 5, i924.

VICTOR A. RIGAUMONT, OE PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

MOVABLE-SEAT Application filed June 30,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Vroron A. RIGAUMONT, a resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvement in lrl'ovable-Seat Construction, of which the following is a sptcification.

The invention relates to movable seating arrangements for auditoriums, in which a room must serve several purposes.

Tt frequently happens that a room must serve the purpose of an auditorium for lectures, plays, etc, in which the spectators are to be seated, and at other times for uses in which a clear level floor is necessary, such for dances, drills, basket ball, expositions, banquets or the like. Ordinarily this change is made by placing on the floor removable chairs or seats when the room is to be used as an auditorium and which must be laboriously removed when the room is to be used for other purposes. This however has the disadvantage that all of the spectators are scented on the same level and therefore cannot get a good view of the proceedings on the stage, the seats are not secured to the floor and therefore liable to cause noise, and when the seats are removed they generally can not be used for audience seating for that room.

The present invention has'for its object to provide an arrangement whereby a room can be used for both the purposes above described, and whereby. when used as. an auditorium the permanently fixed seats may be on a slope so as to give the spectators a good view of the stage, and when used for other purposes many of the seats may still be used for audience seating.

The invention comprises the construction and arrangement ofparts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a plan view more or less diagrammatic and partly broken away of a floor arrangement showing in its upper half the permanent elevated seats at the rear and the movable seating platforms in extended position forwardly thereof, and in its lower half the floor under the permanent seats and the movable seating platforms with their tops removed so as to more clearly illustrate the structure therebeneath; Fig. 2 is a vertical section therethrough on the line 22, Fig. 1.; Fig. 3 shows portions of this vertical section on an enlarged scale; Fig. lis atrans- CONSTRUCTION.

1919. Serial No. 307,818.

verse section on the line 4 4, Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a transverse section showing the construction of the guide rollers and removable guide therefor; and Fig. 6 is a detail view of one of the cable guides, and Fig. 7 shows a portion of Fig. 2 on an enlarged scale.

The drawings show an arrangement in which there is a permanent floor at the rear of the room at an elevated position and with an open space underneath into which can be moved the seating floor sections which are on the floor in advance of the permanent seating floor whenever said floor is to be entirely or partly cleared, but it will be understood that the arrangement can be varied to suit different requirements and different conditions in different buildings, with the seating sections movable either sidewise or backward, and with or without an elevated seating s'rction.

The permanent seating floor at the rear of the room is indicated at 10, and is arranged on a slope, and is supported by a number of rows of underneath columns 11 (or walls may take the place of the rows of columns), the number of such rows varying according to the width of this floor. The space 12 underneath the floor is open except for the columns, and even at the low end of the floor this space may be of a height to permit the free passage of a seated person. The floor of the space 12 will be level so as to permit of its use for various purposes, such as drills, gymnastics and the like, or a swimming pool or the like, may be located in this space.

Forwardly of the permanent seating floor 10 the room will be provided with a level finished floor 14L which can be used for dances, etc., and also to support movable seating floor sections 15, whose upper face may be on a slope as shown, and provided with either permanent or removable chairs, and which sections are arranged to be moved backwardly underneath the permanent seating floor 10 or other superstructure (or sidewise if desired), when the floor is is to be cleared for dances and the like. The number of movable seating sections 15 will vary with the size of the room. The drawings illustrate four such seating floor sections or platforms, arranged side by side, with a corresponding number of passage ways between the rows of supporting columns or walls 11 underneath the permanent elevated structure or seating floor, in which passage ill) ways the respective seating floor sections can be moved. These seating floor sections are constructed upon a suitable underframe 16, and are mounted on a series-of long rollers 17 which have long bearings on the floor and preferably are covered with fiber so as to not groove or mar the floor, and preferably also said sections are provided with a number of shorter rollers 18. These rollers will be mounted in any suitable bearings on the bottom of the underframe 16. Means also are preferably provided for guiding or both guiding and bearing the movement of the movable seating sections 15, so that they will come into proper position on the floor 14- and also in proper position between the rows of columns 11 under the. permanent elevated structure. This guiding means obviously must be arranged not to interfere with a perfectly free floor surface 14. As illustrated this guiding means comprises guiding rails 20 removably secured to the floor both underneath the permanent seating floor lOand forwardly thereof, in a manner to leave both floors perfectly flush. As illustrated threaded sockets 21 are embedded in the floor structure entirely underneath the top surface thereof and these receive threaded bolts 22 which secure the guide rails20 in place, thus permitting of the ready removal of the guide rails and still leave free floor surfaces. These guide rails are provided with upwardly extending ribs 23 which are engaged bygrooted portions 24 011 the rollers 17, but are shown as engag:

ing such grooves in separate rotatable menr bers 25 secured in the underfraine.

The means for moving the movable seating sections 15 can be variously arranged. As shown they are adapted to be pulled in opposite directions on cables winding on power driven drums. The machinery for so moving them is shown located at One end underneath the stage 27,- and at the opposite end in a room 28 at the rear end of the space underneaththe pe "manent seating floor, but this can be varied to suit different requirements and conditions in different buildings. Various formsof mechanism for this purpose may be used. The drawings illustrate a winding drum 29 for each of the movable floor sections, which winding drums preferably are mounted in line and arranged to be independently geared, such as by means of suitable clutches 30 to a common power driven shaft 31 driven from an electric motor 32, or the like. The cables 33 for moving the two central sections are shown as going through suitable stationary guides 34-, and directly to the end drums 29, while the cables 83 of the two side sections pass around suitable guide sheaves 35 and 36 and thencerthrough stationary guides 34 to the two intermediate drums of the series, but obviously this arrangement can be varied.

The guides 34 preferably will be of the construction in Fig. 6, comprising vertical anti friction rollers 37, and a top roller 38 so as to keep the cable in proper position both against lateral deflection and upward deflection. The cables can be connected to the movable floor sections in any suitable way so that it can be readily detached therefrom, such as by means of hooks 40 on the ends of the cables, engaging rings, links or the like, secured to the underfra ne of the movable sections. The drawings show in detail merely the arrangement at the forward or stage end. but it would be understood that the mechanism at the rear will be similar, or equivalent. Also, when return cables are pei.'n'iissible, only one pulling mechanism is necessary, but it must be reversible and guide sheaves provided for attaching both ends of endless cables to the opposite ends of the floor sections. To draw the floor sections to underneath. the permanent seating floor the cables from the rear pulling mechanism are connected to the rear end of the sections and then wound upon the rear drums. To

move said floor sections in the opposite dircction the forward cables are attached to the forward ends of the movable floor sections and wound upon the drums under the stage.

In the arrangement shown in the drawings, with four movable floor sections, there are a corresponding number of open'passage ways finiderneath the permanent upper structure 10 with a row of columns 11 be tween adjacent passage ways. When the superstructure is an auditorium, as shown, these rows of columns are preferably in line with the permanent aisles on the permaneiit seating floor. The spaces between adjacent movable sections in line with these aisles must obviously be closed so as to form a sles 46 on the lower levels and this must be done in a manner not to interfere with themovement of the movable floor sections into the passages under the permanent seat ing floor. As illustrated these lower aisles are formed by platform members 46 and 4:6, hinged at one edge on longitudinal axes 17 to the sides of the movable floor sections 15 so that when in horizontal position they are at a, proper level relative to the top of the movable floor sections, and which hinged connection permits the same to be folded upwardly to vertical position as shown by dotted lines, Fig. l, to clear the columns be tween the several passage ways under the permanent seating floor. These sections are provided with legs or supports 48 hinged at their upper ends, at 4:9, and connected from near" their lower ends to the platforms by stay chains, cables or the like 50, so that when the platforms 4L6 are'folded upwardly these supports or legs automatically fold to vertical position, as shown, and when said platforms 46 are-swung downwardly these legs or supports automatically swing to vertical position, as shown. Preferably the lower ends of these legs or supports are pro vided with cushioned feet 51 to prevent marring the floor. The adjacent edges of. the sections 46 and L6 preferably are formed to provide an overlapping joint, as shown at 52, in order that the legs or supports 48 on one section will also support the adjacent section, thus making it necessary to provide such legs or supports on only one of the sections forminga lower aisle.

These lower aisles are connected with the upper aisles by Stairways 53, which are permanent from the level of the rear end of the lower aisles upwardly. To permit access to these stairways 53 when the movable floor sections are moved underneath the permanent seating floor sections, removable stairways 54 are provided leading from the bot tom floor level to the lower end of the permanent stairways 53.

In order to lift the aisle sections 46 to vertical position they are provided with a series of concealed handles 55. Suitable means will also be provided for securing these aisle sections in vertical folding positions, such as by tying them to; side rails which will extend along the sides of the seats on the movable floor sections.

The aisle arrangement described is provided between intermediate adjacent movable floor sections. At the outer sides of the room the aisle portions 58 are permanent, and connected by permanent stairways to side aisles at, the upper level.

The openings 60 between adjacent rows of columns or walls and through which the movable floor sections are moved will preferably be made of such height as to clear the heads of spectators seated on the highest chairs on the movable floor section, so that when the movable floor sections are moved to rearward positions the spectators can occupy these seats and have a view of the proceedings on the floor 14. When this is not necessary or desired the opening 60 may be closed in order to conceal the movable floor sections when in retracted position, or conceal their rear ends from the rooms 12- when in forward position. To this end roller curtains are shown for these openings, the same being movable on horizontal guides 66 at the ceiling of the room space 12, and arranged to be pulled downwardly to close the openings 60, the sides of said openings being provided with guides 67 for the edges of said curtains.

The details of the construction of the parts illustrated and described can obviously be varied within wide limits, also the size, and if not level the slope of the movable floor sections can be varied, and the direction in which they are moved will also be varied,

depending upon the particular conditions or requirements to be met. The permanent structure over the room spaces 12 obviously need not be a seating floor, but may be permanent rooms, or any other structure.

The arrangement described provides a convenient means for using a single room for various purposes and when used as an auditorium all of the spectators may be seat ed 011 a slope. The space underneath the permanent elevated structure not only provides for receiving the movable seating floor sections when the other floor is to be cleared (the seats of which may be occupied when so placed), but also provides a space for drills, gymnastics and other uses when the movable floor sections are in their forward positions.

I claim:

1. A movable seating arrangement comprising, in combination, a smooth main floor, a movable seating floor section mounted on long supporting rollers enlarged portions of which travel directly on said floor, guide rails, sockets embedded in the floor below the top surface thereof, members extending through the guide rails into said sockets for removably securing the rails to the floor, the reduced portions or the rollers being provided with grooves engaging the sides of said guide rails, and mechanism for moving said floor sections.

2. A movable seating arrangement comprising, in combination, a smooth main floor, an elevated structure over a portion thereof, a movable seating floor section mounted on rollers enlarged portions of which rest upon and travel directly on said floor, guide rails on said floor and extending underneath the elevated structure, flanges on th reduced portion of said rollers coact ing with the sides of the guide rails, sockets embedded in the floor below the top surface thereof, members extending through the rails and into the said sockets for removably securing the rails to the floor, mechanism for moving said seating section, and means for closing the opening underneath the elevated structure.

3. A movable seating arrangement comprising, in combination, a main floor, an. elevated structure over a portion of said floor, a seating floor section mounted on rollers contacting and traveling directly on said floor arranged to be moved underneath said overhead structure, guide rails on the floor, spaced flanges on the shaft of said rollers forming a groove straddling the guide rails, mechanism for moving said floor section disposed at one end of the main floor, mechanism for moving said floor section disposed at the opposite end of the main floor, and means for selectively attaching or detaching either of the said mechanisms to the side of the movable sec- Elm) tion adjacent thereto whereby to provide a clear floor space at either side of said [HOV-1 able section.

4. A movable seating arrangement com.-. prising, in combination, a main floor, an elevated structure over a portion of said floor, a seating floor section rmountedon rollers contacting and travelin directly on said floor arranged to be moved underneath said overhead structure, the distance be-v tween the main floor and the elevated struc: ture being sufiicient to afford a clear view of the floor beyond the elevated structure from the seats of the movable section While disposed beneath the elevated structure, and detachable means for moving the said movable section in eitherdirection.

5. A movable seating arrangement C0111? prising, in combination, a main floor, an overhead structure over one portion thereof and supported by lines of supports, movable seating floor sections arranged to enter under the overhead structure between the lines of supports, mechanism for movingsaid floor sections in both directions, and aisle sections hinged to the sides of the movable floor sections and arranged to be folded into vertical position. p

6. A movable seating arrangement co1nprising, in combination, a main floor, an

overheadstrncture everone portiODythereof and supported by. lines of supports, movable seatmg'floor sections arranged to enter under the overhead structure between the lines-roof supports, vmechanism for moving said. floor sections in both directions, aisle sections hinged to the sides of the movable floorseetions and; arranged to be folded in vertical position, and supports for said aisle sections 'hinged-the-reto and arranged to drop .into vertical position when said aisle sections are a lowered. to horizontal position,

7. A movableseating arrangement comprising,'incombination, :a main floor, an overhead structure over one p rti reQ and supported by lines of supports, movable seating afloor sections arranged to enter under the overhead structure between the lines of supports, mechanism for movingsaid floor sectionsin both directions, and: aisle sections hinged to the sides of the movable floor sections and arranged to be folded in vertical position, the aisle sections of adjacent 'fioor sections being provided with overlapping edges.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

VICTOR A. RIGAUMONT. Witness: 4 .1 

